We lost Baapichi 40 days ago today. We lost him many years ago to Alzheimer’s. Baapichi, as we call him, has and will always be a father figure to me and I will always be his naughtiest child. I credit him with a lot of positives in my life, From tempering my Aapa to the way he weaved his stories that I cherish, Baapichi will forever play an irreplaceable part of our lives. Watching this man who could shoulder the weight of the world wither away to that awful disease was one of the hardest things to do. This poem was written shortly after he passed but I couldn’t bring myself to put it out there until this morning.
This one’s for you Baapichi.
-The only Son who made you loose your cool.
40 years ago this tale began,
How I wish things turned out different my dear man,
Thank you for being there,
For preventing Aappa from having an evil stare.
I said my goodbyes a long time ago,
At a time when your memory had started to go,
While I do miss your presence,
I have long mourned the loss of your essence.
My memories with you will always be cherished,
The stories you weaved will always be relished,
I cannot help but smile like a teary eyed fool,
I still hold the record for being the only child who made Bapichi loose his cool.
Your love for cinema is something I get,
I wish the cinema-lovers in us could’ve met,
You would’ve indulged my every waking wish,
You always ensured that my world was in bliss.
“Tapu” I can still hear the echo of your call,
You’ve helped me stand as tall,
Your lessons are something I won’t forget,
Your ability to forgive was part of the rarest set.
You always gave more than you had,
You’ve prevented many a life from turning bad,
Your path in life was seldom serene,
And yet you breezed through it with one liners, keen.
You raised me as your favourite child,
Held me tight as I heard the news that my mother died,
Protected me from Aapa’s anger,
Helped me grow into a better man like you did my father.
You’ve been for us a friend, a brother and a father,
You’ve even donned the role of Zubi’s grand-father,
This thought consumed my head,
As I whispered,
“Thank you for the life you lived, dearest Bapichi”
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